1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wearing apparel and, more specifically, to earmuffs for protecting a wearer's ears from cold, wherein the earmuffs are adapted to be worn with protective headgear such as helmets for use in sports.
2. Description of Related Art
People have long been active outside in cold weather. One of the portions of the human anatomy most susceptible to cold is the ears, and hats, hoods, scarves and other outerwear exhibit many adaptations for keeping the ears warm. Head bands designed expressly to cover the ears have been used, as have earmuffs. The latter usually comprise two discrete, disk-like bodies or pieces of material sized to cover the human ear. Typically, the two earmuffs are connected by a metal or plastic band which extends between the two muffs across the top of the head under tension to hold the muffs in place over the ears and to enable the adjustment of the earmuffs to fit different wearers.
One of the problems with many of the above-mentioned items for keeping the ears warm is that they can interfere with certain activities, particularly sports. Obviously, it would be difficult to play hockey or football while wearing a hood. In the past, people have played with cold ears or worn one of the types of items mentioned above, such as a stocking cap, head band or earmuffs, with the possibility of impaired performance due to interference with vision or movement of the article of apparel being worn to keep warm. If the possibility of impaired performance is acceptable, headbands, stocking caps and earmuffs generally work well for keeping warm while participating in wintertime sporting events such as hockey, skiing, ice skating and snowmobiling, at least when used without protective headgear.
However, another concern with respect to the cold weather activities mentioned above is safety. The cold weather activities mentioned above involve the possibility of head injuries from contact between players or equipment (in hockey or other sports), through contact with a hard surface such as ice (while playing hockey or ice skating) or from high speed collisions (while snowmobiling). Protective headgear goes a long way toward addressing safety concerns and has become almost mandatory in most, if not all, of the above sports. This is particularly true with reference to hockey played by young people, either in schools or youth leagues. Typically, protective headgear is intended to protect the head, skull and face, not keep the wearer warm.
It would be advantageous if protective and warming features could be combined, but the combination of protection headgear and warming articles of apparel causes problems. The protective headgear has to be modified or worn in larger than appropriate sizes to accommodate the warming apparel which, to be effective, should be worn inside or under the protective headgear. Helmets are specifically designed to fit the head very closely and, clearly, wearing a helmet that is the incorrect size, i.e., too large, diminishes the effectiveness of the protection provided thereby. Vision may be blocked if the helmet shifts and the helmet could come off entirely. Attempting to wear an article of apparel such as a stocking cap or earmuffs on the outside of a helmet is ineffective. The article will likely slip off the helmet. Wearing articles on the outside of a helmet will not be very effective because the article will be spaced from the head and ear.
It would be advantageous if there were a way to keep the ears warm effectively and safely while wearing protective headgear, such as a hockey helmet, without interfering with the activity being undertaken or the effectiveness of the protection gained by wearing the headgear.